I should be gearing up to be going to the South Side to go help voter registration and canvass efforts, but unfortunately I was roped into some very last minute babysitting. I can most likely get somewhere this afternoon though...hopefully. Only three more days for voter registration efforts! Snow will surely not impede us.
All is not lost though- the niece is asleep, so I took the opportunity to create an event. I'm asking those who are constituents to write/call Mike Doyle after I saw him on MSNBC talking about his uncommitted status regarding his super-delegate vote. I took a couple minutes to write to him, so I'm encouraging others to do the same!
Hopefully, a CCAC Students for Obama campus group will be created. I've been talking with a some folks to get things started. First things first are the voter registration. Then comes the persuasion period.
This upcoming week I'm going to start writing on the issues Obama addresses in his "Blueprint for Change" and elsewhere. I get a lot of questions about his specific policy points and what exactly does this word change mean? Is it empty? No- look at the change that's already occurred with students becoming more active and people becoming (somewhat) less jaded about having a voice in the political game.
-toni
*HOPE put into ACTION creates CHANGE*
Tonight I attended an event called "Cocktails for Change" which was essentially a mixer/meetngreet with other Obama supporters and campaign organizers. I met some great people, made some Saturday morning canvassing plans, and got a friend more interested in being active in the campaign. And there was some delightful sangria.
I have to admit that I was nervous before going. I've done voter registration (in fact earlier today I played that part) before, but sometimes it can seem daunting to go to meetings or just walk into a place by yourself with unfamiliar people. The motivating and great part of it though is that you meet interesting people and talk about some enlightening things. It's fun to hear the different stories about the wild experiences people have when canvassing or registering people to vote.
As a result of tonight, I feel closer to the movement. I'm gearing up for more action and the last final push of the next few days to register voters. I look forward to sharing my own experiences and insights as the campaign progresses.
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More by me at:
20dc.com: http://20dc.com/profile.php?user=liberalredhead
ProgressiveU: http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/antoinette-davis
Full text of the speech can be found here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/03/18/obama-race-speech-read-t_n_92077.html.
Tuesday in Philadelphia, Barack Obama gave a speech entitled "A More Perfect Union". The speech was intended to address race in the country. Many were comparing it to say Mitt Romney's speech about how Mormonism plays into his elected official life or the same as John F. Kennedy addressing religion. But unlike religion, which can be a choice, race and ethnicity are luck of the genetic lottery. Events over the past week have also seemingly forced Barack Obama to comment on the issue of race. First, was Geraldine Ferraro's comment that Barack Obama has the advantage of being a black male in the election cycle and then her lack of apology for making such comment. Next, were the questionable remarks made by Reverand Jeremiah Wright (allegations that the government created AIDS to unleash on African-Americans or God damn America, et cetera.) Obama distanced himself from those remarks and condemned as something which does not represent him, his campaign, or the way he would govern.The statements made by both are divisive to this country and the least of the most important things the media should be arguing about. So, Barack Obama decided this past weekend the issue needed to be addressed.I found the speech incredibly refreshing. He addressed the very beginnings of racial divide in this country- our Constitution and the "original sin of slavery". We had to compromise to make this country eventually work. And it was a devastating compromise to millions of people and generations of innocents. We can't undo what happened in our past, so where do we go from here? What are we fighting about? And why?One of the most intelligent remarks made in the speech was this:
For we have a choice in this country. We can accept a politics that breeds division, and conflict, and cynicism. We can tackle race only as spectacle ... or as fodder for the nightly news. ...We can do that.But if we do, I can tell you that in the next election, we'll be talking about some other distraction. And then another one. And then another one. And nothing will change.
He makes such an outstanding point (and here is why I like him so much.) He is incredibly thoughtful about addressing these issues. He is a man not just made of words, but he is a man that says and understands thoughtful words. In his speech, Barack Obama remarked on both the black and the white communities. How blacks still have anger left from the '50s and '60s and middle-class, working whites have sentiments leftover from the time of immigration, working hard, and making everything from the bottom-up. Both groups feel left out and jaded by poltics. Not to mention pandered to or taken advantage of.Perhaps one of the difficulties of speaking about race is that it's been a long time since the Civil Rights movement. One of the things of being a twenty-something is that I've never seen <i>enforced</i> segregation. I've never seen separate bathrooms. I've never not been aware of civil rights. I've lived in a different generation where diversity and acceptance are normal. But I have seen the results of neighborhoods that segregate themselves or people who stereotype. Or people who live those stereotypes. It's an unfortunate result of those prior things that were left unfinished.But Obama makes an excellent point that I agree with, these remarks and focal points act as a distraction. It's fodder for the news and pundits. It misses the issues which matter to everyone and our day to day life. We've been split in so many ways- through economics, by red and blue states. Divides in race, gender, and generation seem to be so staunch this election. If we cannot move past these things we are just born into and cannot change, we have no hope of succeeding in the future. Our Constitution was full of compromises and a document, albeit great, was made by man. Our uniting factor is our faith in politics and the dreams, hopes, posterity that democracies provide. We all see the war. We all experience the faults in healthcare. We all suffer from the drop in economy. We must realize that our race, our gender, our age cannot change ANY of that, but it is attitude and politics that can and that will.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted on 20DC.com here: http://20dc.com/article.php?id=328 and is also Progressive U here: http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/antoinette-davis
I wrote AND submitted letters two Allegheny County's two super-delegates- Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and Dan Onorato. Letters to Senator Bob Casey and DNC Chairmen Gov. Howard Dean are next! I focused on one main issue important to myself and the community- education. I really like Obama's education plan and went into great detail about the specific points of the plan and how myself, as a political science and education student in the county, have seen the effects first-hand of poor mandates like "No Child Left Behind". PLEASE take the time to write a letter the superdelegates. Politicians don't know how we feel unless we simply tell them. If anyone wants to see my letter I can e-mail it to you or just post it on this blog! =)
A great article called "The Obama I Know" that I sent a lot of my friends and posted on facebook was written in the Chicago Tribune, highly recommended:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-oped0314obamamar14,0,7185898.story
"The Obama I Know" By Cass R. Sunstein, March 14, 2008
<HOPE put into ACTION creates CHANGE>
My new voter registration card was recieved in the mail today! =)
Although I am often call myself a "disillusioned Democrat", I am now officially in the eyes of Pennsylvania one. Another reason why I support Obama is how he makes it seem okay for me to call myself "Democrat", "liberal", and "progressive. It's okay to be all those things, support the notion of hope, change, and not just write them off as some "idealistic banter". It's for real folks.
Today was spent registering folks to vote!
This week I plan on assisting more efforts to get out the vote (in PA you MUST be registered as a Democrat or Republican to vote in the primary.) I also plan on helping organizing and making phone calls for the first time. Since I have the week off I will finally be able to put in some substantial time into Obama's campaign.
GoBama!
-Toni
I was out of a computer for awhile, then I forgot about the blog, then it didn't work on my computer, but now I'm back!
Last year, heck even a month ago, no one thought it would come to Pennsylvania (and honestly neither did the Pennsylvanians.) But for once, our delegates matter!
The enthusiasm for Obama and his ideas is intoxicating. So many students are registering to vote and not just that, but they seem willing and ready to go out and do it.
As someone who strongly supports political discourse and activism this is incredibly exciting to witness. We've grown up in 9/11, we've lived in fear, we've only known Clinton and Bush, we've only known name-calling and bickering on partisan lines, we've only known negatives. Members of my generation are ready to throw away that life and start a new one.
My main mission thus far in the campaign has been getting people to vote. Our political science club at school has been spending time emphasizing the significance of voting and getting students on campus talking about issues that concern themselves and their community.
Important Announcement: If you are resident of PA- don't forget to switch to Democratic Party OR register to vote by March 23rd to vote in the April 22 Primary!
-Antoinette
Hello!
I have begun this blog to take notes about the effort to elect Barack Obama, as well as political events shaping the country and world.
Note: I do not know Barack Obama personally or have even met him. They do not sponser this blog or its opinions. I don't know if I need one of these disclaimers or not, but for all intents and purposes I suppose it doesn't hurt.
Obama & Me
I first became aquainted with Barack Obama when visiting Chicago five years or so ago after reading a blurb about him in the paper. He was one of the first people I heard about expousing contempt about the Iraq War in its early days. At that time there were not many politicians speaking out. I thought- "finally, someone who shares in my belief about this war instead of beating the military drum".
I gave him praise for the anti-war sentiments, but as I read more and followed his election to the Senate, I realized he is a lot more than just a voice against the war. I found him to be genuine. He speaks well (we really have missed good articulation of opinions, haven't we?) Politicians rarely give me goosebumps or make such an appeal to me. It's always been "choose the lesser of two evils". Well, maybe not anymore. It's about time we start hoping, not fearing.
Now who am I?
My name is Antoinette, I go by Toni as well. I graduated at a high school in Ohio and now I am a student at a Pittsburgh college, studying education, politics, and economics. I love the field of education and aspire one day to be a secondary education teacher in social studies. I also have an avid interest in music (listening and playing.) I knit. I paint. I watch the news and read a lot. I work and live the college life. I am passionate about politics and like to be in the know. If there's anything else you want to know about me don't hesistate to ask, I am always open up for questions, suggestions, complaints, random musings. My e-mail is antoinette.obamablog@gmail.com go for it!
Why the blog?
I feel inspired by Obama. I am going to be active in the campaign because for once, I feel like a candidate is worthy. I'm sick of living in fear, I want this to be a better place for all. It's one way I can be active, but it's certainly not the best. I consider it a side-note at best. And you know how folks say they used to get that feeling when they saw or heard Kennedy? I get it now. That's why I write.
